Filip Forsberg scored twice, Jonathan Marchessault and Gustav Nyquist each added goals and Juuse Saros made 26 saves for his 25th career shutout to help the Nashville Predators beat the visiting Utah Hockey Club 4-0 on Saturday, snapping a three-game skid.
Forsberg and Marchessault each had a power-play goal and Roman Josi recorded two assists for the Predators, who won for just the fifth time in 15 games this season. Four of those victories have come at home for Nashville, which equaled its goal total from the previous three games.
Saros, meanwhile, wasn’t tested often, but his most notable save of the night came while almost on his back. He made a desperation catch on Nick Schmaltz’s net-front backhander within the game’s first three minutes en route to his second shutout of the season.
Connor Ingram stopped 17 of 20 shots for Utah, which was shut out for the second time in three games. Utah is 3-6-3 since winning the opening three games of the franchise’s history.
Nashville got a break just 1:11 into the game, when Utah’s Alexander Kerfoot was whistled for a trip on Nyquist. Then less than 1:30 later, Forsberg glided into the circle and snapped the puck past Ingram to open the scoring at 2:37 of the first period.
The power play again came through for the Predators with 8:02 left in the opening period. After Utah killed a five-on-three Nashville advantage, the Predators still had two more minutes left on Olli Maatta’s high-sticking penalty. That’s when Josi sent a shot toward the net, where Marchessault redirected the puck by Ingram to give Nashville a 2-0 lead.
Utah was outshot 12-4 in the first period, but recorded the first six shots on goal in the second. However, the Predators went up 3-0 when Forsberg got the puck on the near boards, then raced into the Utah zone and eventually beat Ingram with 8:55 remaining in the middle period.
Forsberg failed to score in the previous three games but now has a team-leading eight goals this season.
Nyquist’s fifth goal of the season was an empty-netter.
–Field Level Media
